North America Procurement Council Procurement News

Sunshine Week Coming March 11-17, 2018

January 9, 2018

Now more than ever, Americans need to defend their right to know what government agencies are doing. Sunshine Week can help.

One of the great things about the United States is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) of 1967, which gives the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. Federal agencies are legally required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions intended to protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. Each state has its own version of the FOIA for state records, some better than others.

Starting not long after it was passed into law, the FOIA has been under attack by criminal forces that infest the federal government. While important FOIA improvements were passed with S.337 - FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, the general trend for government in the U.S. is less transparency intended to conceal increased criminality and violations of the Constitution. In 2017 there were unprecedented assaults on freedom of information in many states and at the federal level. So far, it appears that 2018 will be no better.

The Obama administration went down as the least transparent administration in recent U.S. history, while fraudulently promoting itself at the “most transparent administration”. The Trump administration is already worse, with secrecy increasing at every level of the Executive branch and slower or no responses to FOIA requests.

Each year, the American Society of News Editors and Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press sponsors Sunshine Week, an event to defend and promote freedom of information and government transparency. This year's event will be more important than ever.

Across the country, Sunshine Week will be marked by panel discussions, workshops and other events about using and understanding the latest developments in freedom of information resources.